Thanks to this wonderful not for profit I can learn about the history and heritage of this fine…read morecity I love! Today I learned about Parks Sausage Company which was the first African American owned company to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Parks Sausage Company, was headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland. Parks Sausage was successful because of its founder, Henry Parks. Parks started the company in 1951 with only two employees. Under his supervision, the company grew into a multimillion dollar business with almost 300 employees. Parks trained black and white workers. In his factory, he helped advance racial integration in the workplace. As an African American businessman, Parks knew he would be under increased scrutiny. Inside his factory he kept close watch over the sausage recipe that he had created. Parks would taste his sausage mixture everyday himself and he could tell if the mixture is off by a tiny fraction. Parks wanted to create and maintain a quality product so he introduced sell-by dates to his meat products. In addition, he invited federal inspectors to tour his plant at a time when only state inspectors were required. He did this for two reasons. First, to show how good his products were. Second, to show the community-at-large that African American owned businesses could maintain the same strict standards as white businesses. Baltimoreans didn't just love Parks Sausage, they loved Henry Parks. In 1963, city residents showed their love for Parks by electing him to the Baltimore City Council for two consecutive terms. During his time on the council, Parks pushed for laws that opened public accommodations to African Americans. He also worked to help ease bail requirements. Parks was a lifetime member of the NAACP.  On a local and national level, Henry Parks was recognized for his role as a pioneering African American entrepreneur and civil rights advocate. In 1982, Parks was given the honor of being designated a Distinguished American by the United States Congress. Today, employees at the Parks Sausage Plant, now re-named the Dietz & Watson Plant, no longer make Parks sausage.  But that does not mean that Henry Park's impact as a pioneer in the sausage industry has been forgotten. Everyday, as employees enter and exit work they drive along Henry Parks Jr. Drive and are reminded of Baltimore's original sausage king. NOTE: I want to acknowledge the not for profit Baltimore Heritage Organization for the information I learned about Parks Sausage and Henry Parks who was an important figure in the business community and in history.

Such a cool organization! We booked their tour of Westminster Burial Grounds which explores the…read moregrounds and the catacombs underneath. Our tour guide was amazing! I feel terrible I do not remember her name (she did our tour on 4/26/25). She gave so much information and was happy to answer questions. We learned a lot and enjoyed the tour very much. I see they have other tours including upcoming boat tours, so I will definitely be booking more tours with them!

Had a great time on this walking tour of Fells Point. The guide was a good story-teller,…read morepersonable, and fun. I have lived in Baltimore for a few years and am now preparing to leave, so wanted to experience this before leaving, and I'm glad I did. I, as a local, as well as a friend visiting from out of town both equally enjoyed the evening. in a few of the locations it was hard to hear but we just leaned in and it was all good. A fun way to spend an hour in the evening. Nothing too spooky so even kids should be ok.

Cliff was a great guide and a lot of fun. Loved every minute of the tour…read more We went to 4 pubs/restaurants over the course of 3 Hrs or so. Greet cocktails and stories. Only 1 helpful hint: bring cash w smaller bills so you can pay for drinks/tip and go and not have to wait for change or receipts. This is especially true at Mezza cafe at end where they take FOREVER to bring change/receipts.

Zachary Greene reached out to me via linked in to find ways to promote Bite of Baltimore in a…read moredifferent way. I figured the best way to help him was to get first hand experience of the tour, so I booked a Friday afternoon tour for my team. Can I just say what an awesome time we had? We are all fairly local folks but we learned so much and ate amazing food. I appreciate the level of service Zachary provided including helping to fit this in my budget. All communication was prompt and easy to understand. The payment process was simple. Instructions for where to meet and questions about food allergies or other issues were appreciated. Even in the rain, this was just so much fun. We started at the Maryland Center for History and Culture. As a museum junkie, I loved that we started with a quick tour through Baltimore history! And we got to pop into the Jim Henson exhibit. They have the Labyrinth Dress!! After that we started walking. Did you know the Ouija board was created in Baltimore?? I did not. We walked into the Enoch Pratt Library and poked our head into the Peabody. And we did a quick tour of the Washington Monument. I did not know you could go inside it for free. The food part was even better! Started at Tio Pepe's which was delicious and such a cool building. After more walking we stopped that Helmund for more food. Our final stop was at Topside for a cocktail and dessert. Zero complaints. I've been telling folks about this experience because it was so much fun. I look forward to doing the other tours.

Fantastic tour- highly recommend. First, we had a last minute cancellation with someone in our…read moreparty who was sick and they were super nice and gracious in refunding for the price of her ticket- we appreciated that so much. Second- Donna Ann was fantastic- LOVED her- her energy and sense of humor were infectious. The tour was a nice mix of food and history and a great way to spend an afternoon if you're in Baltimore! You definitely won't need to eat dinner after going on this tour - it's a good amount of food.

Call and book with Ira and his team. I booked the Washington DC tour from Baltimore and it was the…read morehighlight of stay. Informative and easy hop on and off tour was perfect. The right amount of time at all the stops and we didn't feel stressed or pressed for time. Ira provided us with exceptional customer service from the time we arrived at the airport to his drop off at the end of our trip. We will be back and we will 110% book with Ira again for Virginia or Baltimore tours. We were there for a Ravens game and Orioles game. He recommended amazing restaurants and they also did not disappoint. We know we will call out new friend Ira when we head back to Baltimore! Thank you for the amazingly generous hospitality you and your company provided to us!

Ira is the man! He took care of us for 4 days. We went to DC and he even drove us around town. I…read morecan't say enough about his knowledge and kindness.

DonnaAnn Ward is such a great tour guide! So professional, knowledgeable and fun to listen to. I…read morelearned so much in such a short time and laughed a lot!

From the owner: Explore Historic Baltimore with friends old & new…read more Beautiful Baltimore Tours specializes in showing the very best Baltimore has to offer with a born and raised Baltimorean who loves storytelling, history, and helping folks fall in love with this gorgeous 300 year old city. Beautiful Baltimore Tours takes guests to the oldest, saltiest, wealthiest, and most culturally rich neighborhoods and unfolds their histories in thought-provoking, entertaining ways. You'll see Baltimore in a whole new light and be amazed at how incredible this city is. Whether you're three folks in town for the weekend or a company wanting a unique team building experience, Beautiful Baltimore Tours engages you with Baltimore in upbeat, dynamic ways. We have preset walking and coach tours, and love creating custom tours. We work with you to get you exactly what you're looking for in a tour. Current Walking Tours, 1.5 hours Historic Fells Point Historic Mount Vernon World Famous Inner Harbor Current Coach Tours, 2-3 hours (advanced booking required) All Around Town Historic Baltimore Art In Charm City, Then and Now Baltimore and All That Jazz (includes downloadable playlist) Civil Rights Movement in Baltimore Jewish History, Then and Now Sports History In The Greatest Sports Town In America Star Spangled Baltimore

When you're traveling, you make it a point to do some touristy things, and for me, a…read moreguilty-pleasure touristy thing is doing a ghost tour that explores a place's potentially paranormal history. So doing an evening tour of Fells Point's haunted history felt like a no-brainer. And it proved to be a great time from start to finish. The first thing that I grew to appreciate was the professional service that I experienced long before I even started the tour. I had originally scheduled myself for a Wednesday night, but scoring a good deal on a concert ticket had me needing to make a change, and the people that I spoke with on the phone were super accommodating in doing so with ease. Long before the tour started, our guide proved to be super helpful and informative with the details that he texted about the tour. I wish our tour guide's name didn't escape me, because I loved how informative and in character he was, and also how personable and familiar he was with the staff at the places that we visited. Fell's Point is a super historical town that even has the founding family buried on the street that they lived on, and even has the last bar that Edgar Allen Poe visited before his death. It's the perfect location for a ghost tour, and we had the right person giving it. The dad jokes were on point, and I even got to hold an EKG meter outside one of the most haunted buildings in the area. Overall, whether you're a fan or believer of the paranormal, or someone just looking for an outside-the-box tour while traveling, this is a tour that I'd recommend!

This is just a wonderful way to spend an hour in Fells Point. If you believe in ghosts, you'll…read morehave fun. If you don't believe in ghosts, you'll have fun. Rob does a tremendous job regaling his visitors with tales of the more mysterious and sordid history of Fells Point, all while sprinkling in so many humorous lines that keep it all light and fun despite the "dark" history he describes. And if you're not too ambulatory or have been enjoying the countless bars in the area, don't fret, it's not a lot of walking at all. Really glad we spent such a delightful hour with this engaging, professional guide who has his great delivery down pat. Thanks for the fun hour, Rob!

We took a food tour of Little Italy/Jonestown in Baltimore. Mary Margaret was a great tour guide…read moreand very knowledgeable about the area. We had a small group of four and visited Attman's, Isabella's brick oven, La Tavola, and Osteria Da Amedeo. Food tours are great way of seeing what local life is like and skipping to the front of the line to taste a variety of dishes. We saw historic sites like the Lloyd street synagogue, Corned beef row, the Carroll Mansion, Reginald F. Lewis museum, and birthplace of the Star spangled banner flag. It was about a 3.5 hour walking tour and there were intermittent breaks to eat in restaurants. Before this tour I had no idea there was a 'Little Italy' or a 'Corned beef row' and how much history these places had from the restaurants started by immigrants in the 1800s. It also makes a difference having an enthusiastic group and getting to know everyone. This tour is highly recommended.

Our guide, Mary Margaret, did a great job of introducing our group of 12 to Fells Point. We stopped…read moreat 4 places for delicious treats, some unique to Baltimore, like tater tots topped with crab and cheese. The tour was from 3p (get there at 2:45p) to 6:30p with ample time to enjoy the food and her commentary. She knows all about the area, its history, current state, and the bars and restaurants. Made me want to come back! Our guide spoke clearly, answered many questions, kept us together, and showed care and attention to the group and to the owners we encountered. Very nice experience! Do be sure to wear reasonable shoes, though, because you'll be walked on some rough surfaces. Enjoy!

I wish I could remember the name of the captain and co-captain. I took entirely too long to write…read morethis review, sorry guys. Went for a sunset cruise for a friend's birthday on 6/29 and it was so nice. The ride is roughly 1.5hrs and you essentially loop the Potomac at Georgetown. It's BYOB, music and food so I'm just rating the views and service. There was a bathroom on board but I didn't use it. The captain was very kind and didn't bother us much outside of giving us the safety precautions and telling us to have a good time. I would definitely do this again.

Only reason they get 2 stars is due to the friendly bar tenders. Bar tenders were great but drink…read morevariety was lacking. The biggest complaint our party had was for the DJ that didn't cater to any of the passengers request. For a 2 hr ride he played a mix of jungle techno only. Everyone had to endure the music only he wanted to play and that no one was vibing to. We were a group of 14, basically the whole boat and not once did he play music to cater to their passengers to have great time from the beginning. No one danced! I was expecting a party on the boat! As we were 5 mins from docking back, he decided to switch it up a little and played 1 of the requested songs but still fused in jungle techno.. A good Dj reads the room.

We took my family visiting from out of town on the harbor tour. My family members visiting have…read moremobility issues after recent surgeries, so this was a low impact option for them. The tour we took was $25 per person. Picking up the tickets I preordered was easy. With boarding, no one told us when it was time to board though we were sitting at the dock, but we saw a group going and went along with them. Seating on the boat included an upper deck to enjoy the air; my family preferred the lower deck which was booth style. We found a booth together easily. There were large windows to look outside, but the narration was prerecorded and kind of quiet. Occasionally a crew member would chime in. The narration was always pointing out things on the starboard side, so keep that in mind. The interior seemed kind of outdated overall and most of the other people on the tour were on the elderly side, so it might cater more towards that audience. Overall, this was an okay tour of the harbor. The price was fine for what it was, but I wouldn't personally choose to do this tour again. I know there are other options that might be better through the company, so only speaking from my experience with what I described.

This was supposed to be a sunset cruise, and it barely was. The boat should have left an hour…read moreearlier. There really weren't any open areas to see the sunset, and the sun was already below the skyline when we were out on the water....The crew was great , but you get only 2 stars because, the sunset which was supposed to be the star of the show was really just a no show, and this was not because of the weather, it was because of the scheduling and the simple fact that where the boat traveled, there really was not an acceptable place to even view the sunset......

The Domino Sugars (4-25-1951) neon sign and the famed "Charm'tastic Mile" (4-25-2016) were both…read moreintroduced to the City of Baltimore on the same-day 65-years apart. What an amazing piece of history for Charm City tourists and local area residents.

For years and years I passed by the domino sugar factory wondering what sort of work wonka and his…read moreOompa Loompas were up to inside. Finally my day had come, I had earned my golden ticket into the factory! Through an associated corporation my family and I were granted access to a small tour through the factory and what a glorious day it was. The staff members were all welcoming and showered me in domino pizza jokes. Our tour guide was so knowledgable of everything going on. The factory itself was clean and free of ants and bugs. We were allowed to go onto the roof of the factory and see the Baltimore skyline from right below the famous sign. From this day forward I will never purchase another bag of sugar that doesn't have the domino sugar label on it (or refil my domino container with the Walmart brand my essential sugar, because I learned it's the same sugar!)